Care is an ambiguous word
by Vainilla Clide
Summary: "I do care about you, you know?" he cut in, so quiet Juvia almost didn't catch it. "I just thought you should know." [Gruvia Week 2014]. Fifth day prompt is up!
1. 1- Ambiguous

******Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, its characters and their stories.**

**Ambiguity**

It had been some time since she took a solo mission. After getting back from Tenrou they did not even have time for anything other than train for the Games, and they did waste that time in the Celestial Spirit World. So, when the events that followed the Games finally ended, they and everyone in the guild, did nothing but party for about a week. Now that everything was going back to normal -all the normal it could get being Fairy Tail- the mages from the Tenrou Team were starting to go on jobs like there was no tomorrow.

That morning upon entering the guild Juvia was knocked to the floor by a very excited Natsu followed by Happy, both of them saying something about going on a job with the team. Since she didn't see neither Erza nor Lucy, she assumed the whole of Team Natsu would be going. Now she was in front of the board looking through the fliers searching for some interesting job. As nothing caught her eye, she just grabbed the first one with a reasonable reward that could cover more than just her room at Fairy Hills and walked off to Mirajane for her approval of the job. The barmaid was, as always, cleaning the counter, and as soon as she arrived Mira just took the flier, inspected it with a slightly worried, slightly amused look, and returned it to her.

"You might want to take someone with you for that. -said Mira as she still wiped the counter.- It might be hard work for just one person. I should know."

Mira chuckled and waited for her to realize what kind of job she had just picked. She quickly read the description. A restaurant in Hargeon was looking for some mages to help their waiters and at the same time defend them from some dark mages that had harassed their crew. Especially the women. They requested at least two mages.

"But I cannot ask anyone. Gajeel-kun is already busy." Juvia said as she pointed at said Dragon Slayer. He was in a corner of the guild in what appeared to be in the middle of a heated discussion with Levy. "Besides, he would not like the job."

"Why don't you just ask Gray then?" Mira smiled knowingly at the blue haired mage.

"G-Gray-sama? He is in a job with Natsu-san and the others. Is he not? I just saw Natsu-san leaving saying he was going on a job with the team." Juvia fidgeted with the hem of her dress. If Gray was there she sure would ask him to come with her, he may even accept. But he wasn't. She looked back at Mira, who was still smiling.

"Gray wasn't going with them. In fact, I think they were just referring to their team with Lucy. Erza is on a solo mission." Mira pointed to her right. "Gray is right there. You can go ask him." Then she just turned and left Juvia standing there beside the bar. She had two options, goind to the board and picking another job, or just asking Gray, and she would be lying if she said she would prefer the first one, so she just walked to the table where Gray sat. He was eerily silent, a mug a beer in front of him. This was becoming too usual as of late.

"Gray-sama." Juvia waited for him to answer, but Gray didn't even seem to have listened to her. "Gray-sama. Juvia would want to ask you to come with her to this job." She placed the flier in front of Gray, but he still didn't react. "Gray-sama?" The worry she started to feel trespassed to her voice. Just when she was about to repeat the question for the fourth time, Gray answered her.

"What do you want, Juvia?" He didn't even sound irritated as if he had listened for the fourth time his name. He just asked as if Juvia hadn't been standing there the last few minutes. "You came here for something, right?" He then picked up his gaze from the table and looked to her.

"Juvia has just asked Gray-sama if he would want to come with her to this job. The fliers' on the table. It says at least two mages are required."

"Let me see." Gray's eyes traveled quickly through the information provided in the piece of paper. "You want me to work as a waiter? Ok, why not? Already did that with Lucy and the others."

"You did what with love-rival?" Juvia could sense she was overreacting, it was just that these reactions happened almost on automatic. She remembered her promise to Gray, though. She was a new Juvia. She should put all this behaviour behind her. Just when she was about to apologize, Gray cut her off.

"Again with those stupid things? I told you from now on I would flatly say if I didn't like something. Well, I don't like how you obsess with that love stuff. And I don't like you calling me 'Gray-sama' all the time. Just drop the suffix." He then took the flier and went to the bar. Gray waited there for Mira to sign it and then went in the direction of the guild doors. "You coming?" he asked her while waiting at the entrance. "We have to take a train in less than an hour, you know? You should go pack."

Juvia happily stood up and went to him. She would be going on a job with Gray-sama for at least a week. Right then and there she was sure she was the happiest woman on Earthland.

* * *

The train ride went by easily, after all, Hargeon wasn't that far from Magnolia. While Gray spent the time watching through the window, visibly sulking (not a good look on him, she decided), Juvia spent her time watching Gray. He hadn't changed too much since she met him, at least not physically. However his interactions with her had shifted over time. They hadn't change in the way Juvia would have hoped. He still tended to avoid her and normally just act as if she wasn't there, but Juvia knew that behaviour was only present when she was being too much of a stalker. But in those times when she dropped her crazy ways and just hung out with him, he showed a calmer side. He had even began to genuinely smile when talking with her, or at least she thought it was genuine. Before, she had only seen him drop that smug smile of his while around friends. This was a start, right? If he allowed himself to be that relaxed around her that meant Gray-sama considered her a friend, right? She hoped so. It wasn't near at all to what she wanted him to considered her as, but at least it was a start.

Now that they had finally arrived to Hargeon, they started to walk towards the restaurant. The hostal reservations would have to wait. First they should talk with the owners and see if they would need protection too throughout the night. Gray led the way with Juvia trailing behind. She continued to study him while they walked. He seemed a little out of it, like he wasn't even thinking about where he was headed, or that they in fact where on a job. This kind of behaviour worried Juvia, but when she was about to ask him about it they reached the restaurant. Surprisingly, Gray was still wearing all of his clothes.

The owners of the restaurant turned out to be an old married couple, and as they finished to concrete all the details on the job, they insisted for them to take two spare rooms in their own house. For the family photos that hung on the walls next to the kitchen area of the restaurant Juvia supposed the spare rooms belonged to their kids. As Gray-sama still seemed to be a little absent, Juvia politely accepted their offer. They were led to the back of the kitchen and then up some stairs, and finally to their rooms. At the end of the corridor there were two doors, one in front of the other. Juvia took the one to the right, leaving Gray the other one. The old man, Olivier Juvia recalled, told them that there was an adjoined bathroom accessible from both of their rooms. Having said that, he excused himself saying something about having to get back to the kitchen, and remembered them that their shift would start at eight o'clock pm. With that, the ice mage entered his room and shut the door behind him. Juvia sighed and entered her room. The fact that Gray-sama had talked to her even less than usual was still nagging her. Juvia tossed her bag in a corner of the room and went directly to the bed. They should use the time they had left before their shift at the restaurant started to ask some of the girls that claimed were molested by these mages, but Gray-sama didn't seem like he was up to it, if his behaviour upon entering his room was to take into account. It was odd for him not to be caring at all about the mission. As much as Juvia annoyed him with her shenanigans, Gray didn't usually act as distant as he was acting right now. And she knew she hadn't even been that much of a stalker as of late, so, what was making Gray act colder than usual? Deciding to just leave it be for once, she quickly dressed in the uniform Olivier had left them and went downstairs again.

Luckily, she found some of the waiters in the kitchen when she arrived. She waved to Olivier at the hot plates, and went to present herself to her co-workers. She first approached the girls, after all, they were the ones that were molested. The pair were waiting at the stools for the orders of the customers to be ready, and were chatting quietly. Both of them were quite pretty, one of them being clearly taller than the other one.

"Hello. I am Juvia from Fairy Tail. Your employers have contacted my guild in order to help you."

"We know you! You were in the Games!" said excitedly the petite one. She turned to look at the other one. "Do you remember her? She was the one that did a unison raid with her boyfriend in the final round! They looked so cuuuute together!"

"Oh yeah! They defeated the other ice guy from Lamia Scale and the little girl, right? It's so nice to meet you." The taller girl offered her with a smile.

"Y-yeah, nice to meet you too" Juvia stuttered. Had she heard alright? Had they just called Gray-sama _her boyfriend_? She was about to faint. Those girls thought they were dating. And if they thought it, it should be because of a reason, right? She was on cloud nine for like five seconds until she remembered that in fact Gray was more rude than usual with her and he hadn't even crossed any words with her since they have got off the train. She was forcefully taken back to the present and her mission. She smiled back to both of them and went strictly to the point. "So, would you be so kind to tell me what exactly happened so we can help? Do you know these mages before they assaulted you?"

"T-they did not... _assault_ us "-the brownhead petite girl said nervously "They just had had a little too much to drink, and they, they were just a little annoying to us."

"A little annoying to us? For God's sake, Clarie, they tied you up to their table! And you didn't even told us! If it weren't for Max..."

"It wasn't like that at all! They were just showing me some magic." She returned her attention to the water mage. "You see, one of them has magic capable of controlling ropes, so he was just making a little demonstration. You shouldn't worry about me, about us. What you should worry about is the cashier of the restaurant. They said something about planning some robbery."

"Are you saying me that this incident only happened once? The flier for the job said it had happened multiple times." Juvia was convinced that the tiny girl was lying, her nervousness in speech and her flickering eyes to the entrance of the restaurant proved it. Besides, the other girl was clearly stating with her actions that this was no laughing matter.

"No! It has only happened once, I swear. They may have been here more than once and tried to flirt, rather forcefully, with us, but I swear it was the only time anything like this happened."

"Could I talk to you alone?"Juvia asked the taller girl. She was sure that if she could talk to her $alone she would tell her what was going on. The girl quickly answered her.

"Sure." Then she turned around towards the door trough which the waiters entered the kitchen. "Max! Can you cover me for just a sec? The Fairy Tail mage wants to talk to us about that." Some boy on the outside called back an "You owe me, Sam!" and she turned again towards her."There's a room at the back of the kitchen, we can talk there if you want." Without waiting for her, Sam, as it seemed it her name, started to walk towards there. Once they arrived the girl gestured her towards a couch while taking a seat herself.

"You know, Clarie didn't really want to call any guilds because of that incident. Me and Max, along with Olivier and Jane, were the ones who called for you." She started explaining without leaving Juvia any time to ask anything. "She clearly isn't thinking straight, all because of that boy she likes got involved with that gang."

"What boy?" Juvia asked, a little confused.

"Daniel, a friend of Clarie's since they were little. He just got involved with these _Magic Busters _or something, and they are using him for their purposes."

"Is he a mage, Daniel? Why did Olivier not informed us of this?" Juvia was more and more confused as the girl continued talking.

"Yeah, Dan is the one that can control the ropes. He is the one that restrained Clarie, althought it wasn't much like him to do that. He used to be a decent guy before he joined those mages." Sam was talking so much in so little time that Juvia had trouble following what she was saying, but she more or less caught the gist of it.

"So you are saying that this nice kid out of the blue joins a criminal band of mages and now he is harassing his childhood friend? Gray-sama and I should go talk to him." Juvia was worried. When they arrived it seemed like the "attacks" on the waitresses were not personal, but what Sam was saying lead her to think that perhaps this kid would have some special reason for it.

"Your boyfriend's here? You're not working alone?" Sam asked her with great curiosity in her eyes.

"Gray-sama is not my boyfriend, he is just nakama." Said Juvia a tad sadly.

"But, at the Games..." Sam was cut off by a boy her age saying she should get back to work. "See you later, then. Don't hold Clarie as a liar, she was just trying to protect Daniel, she is sure he was been manipulated." She was just about to go out the door when Juvia answered.

"Don't worry, I will try to talk to Clarie-san later" Juvia smiled and waved back. "Also, I would like to talk to Max too. You said he was there when that happened."

"I will tell him, maybe between shifts you can speak to him." With that she left for work. Juvia wasn't used to deduce things, or take charge of the missions, but seeing Gray was off she would have to this time.

* * *

After six long hours of work, she finally returned to her room again. She was just so tired. Now she admired Mira-san all the more. Juvia didn't even know how she could be serving in the guild **all** **day**, and not ever complaining. Her back ached from having been standing too much time, she was about to fall asleep any moment and she didn't even have time to spend time with Gray-sama with how the restaurant was full of customers. That did not mean she hadn't seen him flirting with some girls that happened to be only "having a coffee". It was a miracle Gray had accomplished to stay fully clothed throughout the whole night.

None of the so called _Magic Busters_, as Sam said the thugs were called, had made an appearance tonight. Tomorrow morning they would have to search the city for this boy Daniel, but right now, all Juvia wanted to do was to sleep. She quickly changed into her nightgown and climbed to the bed, snuggled under the covers and cuddled with her Gray plush doll. Soon enough, she was fast asleep.

The next morning she woke up to sunrays washing over her closed eyelids. For the amount of light she could say it wasn't that late in the morning, that she was still on time for a quick breakfast before having to go walk the town. She showered quickly. Gray-sama didn't appear while she was using the bathroom, and neither did he knocked on the door, so she supposed he was already up and about. After she finished dressing she went downstairs to the restaurant. At this time of the morning it was only occupied by some people having coffee or a snack before going back to work, so the place was relatively quiet. She saw Gray sitting at a table at the far corner of the diner and went to sit by him.

"Ohayou Gray-sama." Juvia said with cheerfulness.

"Ohayou Juvia." Gray answered looking into his coffee mug. He still seemed a little distant, but at least he had answered her. She took it he would at least be talking with her today. Right then the young waiter from yesterday arrived at the table with a tea mug and some toasts.

"On the house" he said while putting it all on the table. "By the way, my name's Max. Sam said yesterday you wanted to talk about what happened with Clarie." He then dropped the tray on a free chair and took one to himself.

"Who are you again?" Gray didn't seem too enthusiastic in engaging a conversation this early in the morning.

"He was present when those thugs attacked the other waitress, Gray-sama. In fact, I believe you were the one that stopped them?" Juvia directed the conversation once again to Max.

"Yeah, I saw how that Daniel seized Clarie and tied her to the table. I was expecting her to say something to him, to fight against the restrains, but she stayed immobile. Just when they were about to..." he hesitated for a moment, "to try something with her I just had to walk in. It had happened once or twice before. Those times I wasn't here, but Sam and the others say they didn't go that far. If I had been there..."

For his words Juvia was certain he cared to some degree about the girl, or at least he was very protective her. You would have to be Natsu not to notice that.

"So you went and stopped it before anything happened. How was that? I believe they were mages." Gray cut in, all business.

"I have some magic myself, although is no good like yours. I can somehow dissolve magic." Gray arched his eyebrows. " It's no good anyways, my magic is too weak. But it was enough to drive those idiots out."

"So you are saying this _Magic Busters_ aren't even powerful mages? Oh Mavis. Alright, Juvia, when you finish your breakfast, we are hunting these thugs down. Hopefully we can finish the job today."

"Okay, Gray-sama. Thanks, Max-san." She smiled to the young man as he stood up and went back to work. She then proceeded to eat her breakfast and drink her tea as quickly as possible. "Why would they serve me tea?" she mumbled to herself. Most people had coffee for breakfast. If they ever had tea it was plain normal tea, not mint tea. Not her favorite.

"I told them you would prefer it." Gray grunted. He then gulped down what was left of his black coffee and left Juvia there at the table. "I will wait for you outside."

Juvia coudn't move. Had she heard alright? Was she still dreaming? This...this couldn't be real, right? Gray-sama had just said that he had told them what she would prefer for breakfast? She was just about to die right there and then, as happy as she was. He knew which was her favorite tea. _He knew which was her favorite tea._ She happily finished her breakfast and went outside.

They walked calmly through the streets, Gray asking questions here and there about the _Magic Busters_, or if they could please show him where Daniel Lasso lived. Nearing lunch hour they had a quick meal in a tiny bar near the shore. They asked the owner again for directions. This time they were directed to the outskirts of the town, near the end of the seashore. They quickly found the house they were given directions to. A small wooden house near the cliffs at the end of the bay. As soon as they reached the house Gray knocked on the front door, Juvia trailing behind him. A young man opened the door, followed by a little girl, no more than six, seven years old.

"Hello. How may I serve you?" He had a kind voice, Juvia noticed, and he, perhaps unconsciously, had placed his left arm in front of the girl, as if trying to protect her.

"We are mages from Fairy Tail. We are looking for Daniel Lasso, we want to talk to him." Juvia politely answered. She then smiled to the little girl, who hesitantly returned the smile, showing two small holes where her front teeth should have been. She was cute.

"And that would be me." He kneeled before the little girl. "Saku-chan, go back inside, I will be there in a second." He caressed the girl's head and then stood up again as she entered the house. "So. Why would Fairy Tail mages would want to talk to me?" He leaned in the door frame as he addressed Juvia directly.

"We believe you know a girl called Clarie?" Gray asked, although Juvia could see he wasn't actually expecting any answers. She noticed the boy's easy-going expression faltered for just a moment, then went back to normal. "We were hired by her boss. He was concerned about her well being while working at the restaurant. Some mages" he looked the young man in the eye "were reported to have harassed her."

"I can explain." Dan quickly sputtered out. "They were making me do that, I would never, _never_, hurt Clarie willfully. I lo-...I've known her all my life. She is one of my best friends." The boy clearly was telling the truth, at least in Juvia's eyes. The way he had said Clarie's name...It reminded her of the tone she used to refer to her Gray-sama. He loved the girl, also. Clarie was a lucky girl.

"And why would you be with those people, to begin with? You seem like a nice person." Juvia knew her intuition was right, this _was_ a good kid. Clarie was right, he was forced. "Were they threatening you?" He flinched. He walked past them onto the street and looked to both sides. Then he gestured them to enter to his house and closed the door behind them.

"Not me. They were threatening Saku, my little sister." He looked over to where the girl sat, playing with some crayons. "They had attempted to kidnap her before. I was able to stop them that time, but..."

"And why would they want to take a little girl?" Gray interrupted, his voice a little annoyed.

"She has healing magic abilities." Dan answered, as if that made it all clear. Juvia had to admit, since having Wendy in the guild, every injury their guildmates could suffer, were considerably less serious. It was good to have someone like that in any team. But she still couldn't understand why they had gone for Clarie.

"Okay. So you were forced to restrain Clarie at the bar. Why? Why her? For what the other waiters have told us, she was the only one harassed."

"I don't know. Those guys were wasted that night. The other times they just flirted with her a lot. I suppose their leader just has a thing for her. I don't like it." He seemed worried. Then his little sister came running with something in her hand and calling for him to see what she had just drawn.

"Do you know where they meet? Where can we find them?" Gray asked with irritation.

"I don't know where their hideout is. but they told me to go to the restaurant again tomorrow night. Something about a robbery." He still seemed preoccupied. "I could meet with you guys there."

"Alright. Just leave it to us. We will just defeat them and hand them to the authorities." Juvia smiled and waved to the little girl. "We will see you then."

They quietly left the house and started walking back towards the was still fairly early in the afternoon, so Juvia proposed to stop for a moment to get some ice cream. Gray wordlessly nodded and they walked in the nearest ice cream parlour they found along the way. When Juvia was about to pay for her mint and chocolate cone, Gray handed the girl behind the counter some money. The girl gave Juvia a jealous look and quickly returned the change to Gray. She followed after him when he walked out of the place.

"Thanks for the ice cream, Gray-sama." Juvia happily chanted once they were outside, back under the summer sun.

"I told you to at least drop the suffix." He grunted. "You don't have to thank me, it's just an ice cream." He picked up his pace leaving Juvia behind. She stayed still for a moment before following him. They fell into what seemed a companionable silence. He was behaving nicer than usual towards her, but the events of the day prior, in which he had practically ignored her (more than usual) were still fresh on Juvia's mind. She knew she shouldn't risk it asking, but she was really worried as to why he had been brooding. At it wasn't just yesterday. Juvia had noticed that since they got back from the Games he was not his usual sarcastic self. He had picked up a drinking habit that could rival Cana's, although he usually got drunk alone in a corner of the guild. He hadn't even participated as much in the brawls of the guild, turning down more than once Natsu when he had called for a fight with "Ice Princess". Juvia suspected the issue he was dealing with had happened during the Games, but she wasn't sure what it was. Deciding that she could take another day of Gray not talking to her, although she really didn't want it, she took a chance and went on with asking.

"Gray-sama, could Juvia ask you something?" She almost hesitated at the suffix, seeing how much it annoyed Gray, but could not stop the habit of a long time to roll out of her mouth. He shrugged his shoulders instead of giving a verbal answer. Now was the difficult task, actually ask him if there was anything wrong. "Are you alright? Is something bothering you? Since the Games..." She stopped as soon as she saw Gray had stopped walking. She noticed how tense his body was. She waited for an answer, for Gray to even acknowledge her question and shake it of his shoulders nonchalantly. But seconds past. Her neglected ice cream was beginning to melt too much under the afternoon sun. Wordlessly Gray started walking again, this time at a more slow pace.

"Don't worry about that. How is your ice cream?" Juvia knew he was just trying to deviate the topic to other matters, and although she wasn't going to 'not worry about that' at all, she decided to leave it for later, again.

"It's delicious. Would you like to try it?" Her over-imaginative mind started to think about the possibility of sharing an 'indirect kiss' with Gray-sama. How good would it be? It would be great. She sighed.

"No, thank you. I had more than enough with mine." Juvia realized he had already eating his cone, and disappointed continued to eat her own. "Why do you like mint flavour so much,though? I don't get it, it's the most plain flavour after vanilla."

"Juvia loves mint flavoured foods because it reminds her of her Gray-sama." She happily answered. And it was true. As weird as it sounded, Juvia had always connected Gray with the flavour. Perhaps it was due to freshness that mint left in her mouth that reminded her of Gray's ice magic, she didn't really know.

"Whatever."

They soon arrived at the restaurant, and after sharing what information they had collected talking with that Dan kid with Olivier and his wife (unfortunately Clarie and Sam had the day off) they went upstairs to their rooms to get a little rest before their work hour came around the clock.

* * *

The next day Juvia was just taking an order from a customer when she saw Dan entering the restaurant. He was followed by some nasty looking men, already looking more than a little tipsy. They settled themselves in the area which Gray and Clarie were attending. Juvia looked over to where Gray sat at the bar waiting for an order. He barely acknowledged her look before turning away to talk with Clarie, saying something to her Juvia couldn't catch. She then walked over to where the _Magic Busters_ sat. She looked to be writing down their order. Juvia didn't like to be using her as bait, she had told Gray-sama so. She had a bad feeling about it.

"Juvia, concentrate." The whisper came from her right, she hadn't even noticed Gray had moved and now he was walking towards the table were Clarie was. Suddenly the lights went out and Juvia felt something restraining her from behind. She heard screams from the customers, and tried to free herself from the ropes by converting her arms in water, but she couldn't use her magic.

"Just stop moving, little fairy. Yes, that's right. Little Dan told us about you. We only want to get some money and the girl. We don't want to hurt no one. However, no one can see us in the dark. Maybe I can have some fun with you in the meantime." The voice from behind her chuckled. To Juvia's nose arrived the disgusting odor of alcohol. The man was surely more than drunk. Just because she couldn't use magic it didn't mean she couldn't fight with him and then free herself. Just when she was about to fight back she felt a sudden coldness around her wrists and the rope, turned into ice, broke into little pieces freeing her. She turned back looking for the thug, but he was already unconscious on the floor.

She then saw Clarie was being held by Dan, close to the door. She looked at him and gestured for him to go out, to take Clarie out of here. Once she saw they had successfully gone out of the restaurant, she engaged the fight Gray was in since he freed her. In less than two minutes they had already defeated the drunk mages and restrained them in Juvia's Water Lock. While everything went back to normal and Olivier was trying to calm down the customers, Juvia and Gray said to his wife they would be returning after turning the gang to the authorities. Once they had handed them to the police, and had assured themselves Clarie was alright by meeting with her and Dan on the outside of the restaurant when they got back, they walked back into the bar. Max was waiting for them at the counter, and said to them Olivier wanted to talk to them, he was waiting in the room next to the kitchen.

"We just wanted to thank you for your work, and for helping Clarie. You are free of your work as waiters. Thank you for helping us out with that too." He smiled while shaking his hand with Gray. "My wife and I would like you to stay for the rest of the week you were supposed to, if you would like so too. You can visit the town and get some relax."

"Thank you Olivier-san. That would be great." Juvia smiled as she profusely shook his hand. "If you still need a hand on the restaurant we could work."

"Oh, don't fret, don't fret. Max and the others have been managing just right 'till now, haven't they? I have started to think they like it even." The old man chuckled as he walked to the door. "Thank you, again. You can collect the reward tomorrow morning. Enjoy the night today!" With that he left, and Juvia was again alone with Gray.

"Would you like to go for a walk, Gray-sama? Sam told me the other day about 'the best ice cream parlour' in the highest part of the town." She knew she was pushing her chances a little bit. After finishing a job Gray usually drifted off to rest or be on his own, so when he silently nodded she was more than a bit surprised. Happy nonetheless, but surprised.

While Gray went to buy their ice creams, Juvia waited at the edge of the square, situated just over the cliffs. The view of the ocean from there was beautiful, and she couldn't help but get inmerse in the beauty of the landscape. The full moon just made it even more stunning. While staring at the ocean, she couldn't help but think back about how the mission had gone. They had defeated that nonsensical gang and had protected everyone (even if Gray said they had never been _that_ much in danger). Anyways, it was a successful mission. Plus, Juvia would be enjoying four more days of free accommodation and Gray-sama's company. A dream come true! Speaking of which, he still seemed a little bit absent, but at least he was acknowledging her. It was better than having him ignoring her. The fact that he had avoided the topic of his gloominess when Juvia had brought it up still nagged her. He seemed to be warming up to her if his actions were something to be taken into account. He had willingly invited her to an ice cream. Twice. He had even said to Max and the other what she would like for breakfast, for Mavis sake! But he hadn't answered her question about if something was wrong with him. And Juvia knew he was all but okay. It was something that happened in the Games or the war with the dragons that followed, but Juvia wasn't sure what. The fact that he didn't trust her enough to tell her what was going through his mind upset her. She leaned into the railing, letting her view fall down, into the sharp end of the rocks at the base of the cliff.

"Maybe he doesn't care about me. He always says I'm annoying." She whispered, more to her than to anyone in particular.

Those gloomy thoughts didn't match the striking view. She knew she was over thinking things, and that she should at least be enjoying his company. The night was too beautiful to waste it. Standing up, she was about to return to the ice-cream parlour when she noticed Gray's presence and the coldness it brought with it. He handed her her cone and rested his forearms on the railing, while tending to his own ice cream. It was also mint and chocolate.

"Thank you, Gray-sama." She smiled. "Why the change in flavour?" She was curious as to why he had chosen it, when just the day before yesterday he had labeled it as "the most plain flavour after vanilla".

"Just wanted to try it. You said it was good." Juvia's smile grew even bigger.

Upon returning to the now closed restaurant (they had stayed a while, a long while, contemplating the ocean in comfortable silence) they entered through the back door and went upstairs as quietly as possible. Juvia had already bid Gray good night and was about entering her room when he opened his mouth.

"About the question you asked me, about what was worrying me. It has something to do with what happened while we were battling those small dragons. It was..." he hesitated. She was facing her door, but she could sense the atmosphere has tensed, that he was tense. " It's about..."

"You don't have to tell me if you can't right now, Gray-sama. I understand it." She smiled to herself. He had just tried to tell her. Even if he couldn't really phrase it, she knew the intention was still there. It still counted. Juvia posed her hand on the knob again. "Good night Gr-"

"I do care about you, you know?" he cut in, so quiet Juvia almost didn't catch it. "I just thought you should know."

...

...

Had she heard alright? He said he cared about her. Had he heard her when she was whispering that thoughts to herself? Anyway, it didn't mattered. He had said it. She felt happier than she had felt in months. Could he actually meant what she thought? Was it that type of caring? Deep down she hoped so. She loved the idea. She almost squirmed in delight.

"Good night, Juvia."

She heard his door shut, for once carefully. She knew she would be having happy dreams tonight.

* * *

(Gray's POV)

When he closed the door he leaned against it. The mission had been easier than he would have liked, but with him being so distracted it hadn't seemed like it. After hearing Juvia sound so defeated while leaning on that railing, he knew he had to do something, to tell her something. He really wasn't that annoyed by her anymore, in fact, he was used to it by now, and had had, albeit unwillingly, started to enjoy her antics. So he just told her that he in fact cared about her. After all, she was a friend.

* * *

**Hi! If you have read till the end, thank you so much! I really appreciate it ^^. This is my first posted fanfic, so if you want to leave any comment or make any constructive criticism I would appreciate it :)**

**I apologize for my english, it is not my first language. If any words or expressions are wrong I am sorry.**

**Now, I wrote this one-shot for the Gruvia Week. The following days I will be uploading more one-shots written with the prompts given for the week. All of them are going to be related, but you can still read them separately and they will still make sense (I hope :S).**

**Thank you so much again if you have read it till the end 3**


	2. 2- Nervous

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, its characters and their stories.**

2.- Nervous

It had been almost a week since they got back from that nonsensical job. The mages they had to defeat didn't even present that much of a fight against him. He didn't even know why Juvia had picked something so boring. Alright, they had enjoyed about four days of free accommodation after they finished the job, but Hargeon wasn't that large, and after the first morning without a job, they had been 'forced' to stay at the beach and enjoy the weather. He had been wary about spending all that time alone with Juvia. Although, as he had reluctantly admitted to himself, her crazy ways towards him didn't actually annoyed him that much anymore, he didn't love the idea of four days in a row dealing with her. He could never have imagined how shocked he would be when instead of Juvia being at her most stalking mode, she was just relaxing and enjoying the days off and the warmth. When she talked to him she did it with a weird normalcy, the only trace of her earlier behaviour was that she still called him Gray-sama. By the third day of this, their interactions were starting to unnerve him. It didn't seem right for her to be acting that way. Dared he say he missed her stalking him? Perhaps, but not that much. Juvia's demeanor, although eerily strange, was somehow appealing. He didn't know what had triggered the change, but he couldn't complain much. He thought it was just a temporary change, so when they went back to the guild, and Juvia still behave like she wasn't Juvia, his uneasiness increased. And it should had been fine had he kept his uneasiness to himself, had he acted stoic and not let it shown. The fact was, he hadn't been able to stop it affecting his interactions with her. He felt strange when talking with her, almost jittery. Nowadays he found himself spending more and more time with Juvia. He was drawn to her, and he didn't know why. People in the guild, specially those who knew him best, were starting to notice his change in behaviour.

Then yesterday, while he was sharing a tea with Juvia, he had felt how Erza glared at him over her strawberry cake. He had sensed her gaze in his undressed neck, watching his every move. Gray could feel she was trying to decipher what was going on. Earlier that week Lucy and Erza had scolded him for going back to his stripping habits once that he had at least reduced them to a minimum. He couldn't help it. He was nervous for some reason, so he turned to his stripping habit without even wanting to. His subconscious was trying to placate his nervousness by going back to any routine he had once held. Like responding to Natsu's invitations for a fight day in and day out. It all had started with Juvia's change in behaviour and the interest it awoke in him, but it had evolved to the point that he felt uneasy whenever she was near or she was mentioned in any conversation. So, as he lately spent a lot of time with her, he was resumed to fighting whomever offered when he could not stand this newfound uneasiness. He had even began to wake up from the slumber and gloominess Ultear's disappearance, and most likely death -Gray felt-, had sunk him in. He had been grieving, or something like it. He could perfectly recall that minute into the future. He was dead. He was shot, multiple times. Gray was sure Ultear had been the one to save him, to save everyone. She had somehow used her magic to turn back the clock, and she had saved many lives without anyone knowing it. And it made him furious that, first Ul, and now her daughter, had died protecting him. He blamed himself for it. Gray remembered the pain he felt, remembered how his body was slowly been blown by those little dragons. He remembered how everything went black. And the thing he could most vividly recall was Juvia's agonizing scream. Juvia had seen how he died. The last thing he had heard before the blackness surrounded him was Juvia's heartbreaking cry. It wasn't a pleasant memory. So now that his thoughts had escaped somehow that dark corner of his mind, and been replaced by this anxiety over Juvia, he was confused to say the least.

Why the hell was this happening to him? Juvia was Juvia. His crazy stalker whom he had had to grown accustomed to. The one that fussed over him every day, and didn't leave him alone for a second. But she wasn't stalking him anymore. She was acting pretty normal now. Not Juvia-normal, but sane person-normal. And it was freaking him out.

He was still brooding about this, whiskey glass included, when he heard Juvia's voice. She was talking with Lucy at the entrance of the guild. A rare sight, those two together. Even more rare without Juvia jumping to Lucy's throat saying that she was her love rival. But what made Gray choke on his drink wasn't that. It was the fact that Juvia was out of her normal attire and was instead wearing a beautiful summer dress that stopped just at her mid-thigh, allowing her guild mark to show. It wasn't that he hadn't seen that much of her skin before, no more than ten days ago he had been on the beach with her in her bikini. But it was somehow different. Juvia was more conservative when dressing than most of the Fairy Tail girls, so seeing her without her winter coat, and for once dressing for the weather startled him. He was still staring at her when he heard someone clearing her throat behind him.

"You could just tell her the dress looks good on her." Erza said. She then proceeded to sit down next to him and started to attack yet another strawberry cake. "Or you could continue gawk at her like some crazy stalker." She chuckled and continued to eat her precious cake.

"What do you mean." Gray rumbled.

"You know what I mean. Remember the conversation we had during the Games?" She smiled smugly. It didn't suit her much, though.

He just grunted in response. He could feel how his cheeks were starting to get the colour of flame-brain's hair. And suddenly there was the rapid pulse again. He felt nervous. And all because of thinking of a conversation and the sight of Juvia in that dress. He guessed she really looked good. She always looked good, perfect even.

...

...

...

He didn't thought that. He. Did. Not. Thought. That. This was Juvia, for Mavis' sake. She was his nakama. Nothing more, nothing less. She had become his friend, and that was all. After all he had suffered from her stalking he couldn't be thinking that. That thought had not crossed his mind.

"You might wanna cool your cheeks, Juvia is headed this way." With that, Erza left, not before she complemented Juvia in her look.

"Ohayou, Gray-sama" She beamed at him. She was smiling so broadly that for a moment he forgot what he was supposed to say.

"O-Ohayou, Juvia." He had stuttered, for crying out loud. He seemed like some freaking schoolboy with a crush. He had not thought that.

"Is something wrong? Is Gray-sama feeling well? His cheeks are pink." She moved her hand closer to his face and aimed for his forehead, but Gray ducked away.

"I'm okay, it must be the heat in this damn place." He retreated once again to his drink, and almost gulped whatever was left down in one go. He could see a hint of hurt in Juvia's eyes for when he had eluded her touch. He didn't like it. He felt as much as he saw her smile dropped, and a frown replaced it. He was going to die from embarrassment, but perhaps seeing her smile again was worth it. He took a deep breath and felt his cheeks grow even warmer.

"You look beautiful in that dress, Juvia."

* * *

**A/N: I hope you liked it! I apologize if Gray is a little OOC, it was really difficult for me to write from his point of view. I apologize once again for any mistakes in my english, and remember, if you hadn't read my previous gruvia week one-shot, that for each prompt I will be uploading a one-shot, all of them connected somehow. Still, you could follow them without having to have read the other ones.**

**The following one-shots are going to be published both as independent entries and as chapters of the same story ("Care is an ambiguous word.")**

**Thank you so much for reading! ^^**


	3. 3- Change

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, its characters and their stories.**

3.- Change

Juvia's feet almost made no sound at all as she carried herself towards theguild. It wasn't that long a way between Fairy Hills and the Fairy Tail building, but she had taken the long route there. It was still early in the morning, but the already hot summer weather reminded her of the warmth of the beach and the ocean's breeze not a week ago she had enjoyed in Hargeon. It had been some peaceful four days, relaxing under the sun and just doing nothing. Plus, Gray-sama had been there. And after they finished the job he had actually said to her that he _cared_ about her. At that moment she was thrilled, happier than she had been in like forever, but after Gray bid her goodnight, she had stayed awake for a good part of the night, thinking. Had he said it in the way Juvia imagined? Care was too much an ambiguous word, if the one that said it didn't make it clear what was its intent. She hoped and hoped that he cared about her the way Juvia cared about him, but she knew this was Gray, he wasn't that direct about his feelings, nor he expressed them that freely. She would just have to assume that he only meant he cared for her as his nakama and his friend. But she was finally relaxing, he had intended to actually talk with her, and he for once had expressed what he was thinking. The sound of a train leaving from the station she had just passed on brought her back to the present. After the mission she had noticed how Gray was changing, especially around her. He seemed to be slowly waking up from that gloominess he had sunk himself in after the Games. And he was spending time with her, too much to be normal. Gray was still Gray, so as he didn't talk too much it was more than a little difficult to understand his change in behaviour. She noticed, as well as Lucy and Erza, that his stripping habits were back on full mode. And although she was intrigued as to why all of this was happening, she couldn't say she was the least against it. She was just focused on enjoying it. It was true that her demeanor had changed too. She was controlling her stalking impulses and just relishing his company, trying to act as normal as possible, and more than one of her guildmates had asked her for it, Erza being the top one. She didn't really know what was pushing her to do that, she just felt it like she didn't have to recur to those shenanigans anymore. As she came to that conclusion the guild doors appeared before her. She continued walking peacefully, enjoying the great weather. When she was about to enter Lucy came fuming furiously through the doors. She stopped when she saw Juvia.

"Juvia!" She smiled sweetly to her, not at all matching the face expression she just had a moment ago. "Would you like to go shopping with me?"

Juvia could see the plea in her eyes. And she felt the eagerness Lucy-san had to get away from the guild.

"Juvia would be very pleased, Lucy-san." Lucy made an incredulous face for a second, but quickly smiled again, this time sincerely.

"Come on! Let's go!" Lucy grabbed her hand and started walking towards the shopping district in Magnolia.

After less than an hour with Lucy dragging her from store to store, trying things on while Juvia waited outside, and finally Lucy buying nothing, they were walking to the last store Lucy wanted to visit.

"Juvia, can I ask you something?" Lucy said, as light as a feather. "Do you think Natsu is as dense as he seems? Or is he just acting for the sake of not confronting my feelings?"

She sounded sad. No, she sounded defeated. Juvia knew the feeling, she had experience it more than once, always related with Gray-sama. But she had stood up every time, she wouldn't take a no for an answer. And right now, her relationship with Gray-sama, not romantic yet, had developed and she was more and more happy everyday. Lucy didn't seem like she would have the strength to stood up. Juvia couldn't leave it like that. She could have been a possible threat to her because of her friendship with Gray-sama, but she clearly wasn't a love-rival anymore, she had just somehow confessed her feelings about Natsu. So she determined herself to cheer her up.

"Don't worry about that, Lucy-san. Natsu-san can be a little...slow, when it comes to this topic, but I can assure you, as the rest of the would, that he really isn't that incompetent about that. He may take his time, but Juvia thinks he will acknowledge your feelings, that he will acknowledge _his_ feelings. Don't worry." She smiled reassuringly to her. Lucy returned the smile but she didn't seem convinced. She shook her shoulders and continued walking.

"Thank you Juvia. Can I ask you something else?" She now sounded cheery. She also didn't wait for Juvia to give her permission. "What is going on between you and Gray? You seem closer than before."

Juvia stopped dead on her tracks. Erza was one thing, but that Lucy was asking it while been overly happy, was another. She saw how Lucy continued walking, not noticing how she had stopped. Then she turned around and faced her with a frown on her face.

"Juvia? Is anything wrong?" She seemed genuinely worried. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked." Lucy was like that. She liked to pry, much like anyone else in the guild, but she often felt guilty about it.

"No, nothing's wrong, Lucy-san. You just took Juvia by surprise." She smiled to her and resumed her walking. "You know about the job Gray-sama and I took last week?"

"Yes, Gray told me you gained four free accommodation days in Hargeon after finishing the job. Was it good?"

"Juvia enjoyed it alright. But..." She hesitated, she would like to keep what Gray had said to her. But Lucy had shared with her what was happening, so she felt bound to told her what was through her mind, also. "After we finished the mission, Gray-sama told Juvia something. At first she thought he was referring to something Juvia had been expecting for a lot of time, but later she pondered about it, and came to a different conclusion..." She knew she wasn't giving much details, but she couldn't bring herself to.

"What exactly did he told you?" Now she couldn't scape giving the details.

"Gray-sama told Juvia he 'cared about' her. Ju-" She was cut off by the squeal of delight she heard from Lucy at the same time she gave her a hug. A little surprised she returned the hug, and when Lucy-san finally released her she started asking her questions about how, why and where had it happened. She didn't give much thought and told her how had the incident went exactly. Lucy then shared her thoughts about it with her.

"Maybe you are right and Gray didn't mean it romantically, at least not consciously, but, if I know him enough, Juvia, I would say he really is changing." She smiled profusely. "He is opening up, and it is all thanks to you." She intertwined her arm with her and started walking back towards a store they had already been before. "Now, if we want him to finally acknowledge he feels something for you, we have to make him notice you."

"But Gray-sama notices Juvia, he is even spending more time with her than before." Saying it out loud made Juvia even more happy about it. Gray sama was really changing, or at least letting his true self show. That self that had been buried under ice and sarcastic comments for far too long. And Juvia was there in the front row to see it happen.

"I agree he notices you, and that he is spending more time with you. Mavis, we would have to be blind not to see it." She made a pause while she grabbed the pommel of a boutique they had entered before. "But we have to make him _notice_ you, _notice_ the feelings I, as well as Erza, are sure he has for you." She went straight to the section where the dresses were. She started to pass each one, giving a quick look to them, until she arrived to one Juvia recalled she had tried on before. She tossed it to her and none too much gently pushed Juvia towards the changing rooms.

"I had tried that dress before, but it didn't suit me. However, I think it's just perfect for you."

"Lucy-san, this dress is too summer-y for Juvia. It's too short." Juvia's cheeks went pink quickly enough.

"That's what we want it to be Juvia. Try it on!" Lucy cheered and closed the curtain to give her some privacy.

Juvia's eyes carefully studied the dress. It was simple but beautiful, its bluish floral pattern drawing almost all the attention. She slowly put in it, and turned to look herself in the mirror. Lucy was right, the dress was perfect. It clanged to all the right places and its color complemented her hair and eyes without going too astray from her usual outfits. It also showed her guild mark, stopping just at her mid-thigh. She loved it.

"How is it?" asked Lucy, and without waiting, she opened the curtain. "Mavis, you look wonderful, Juvia! It suits you perfectly." Then she went out of the changing room and Juvia heard her talking to the shop assistant. In less than a minute Lucy was back with a pair of navy blue sandals. "Try them on! You can't wear boots with that dress!" She handed them to Juvia and waited for her to put them on. "There, perfect look. Don't change into your normal clothes, we are going to the guild." Leaving Juvia there, she went once again to talk with the shop assistant. Juvia heard something about charging it to Lucy's account. She gathered her clothes and boots and went out into the shop. Lucy came to her with some paper bags in hand.

"Lucy-san, you don't have to. Juvia can pay for herself." She said as the other girl carefully put her clothes in the bags. Juvia felt bad for Lucy paying her dress when she often complained about having not enough jewels to cover her rent.

"Don't worry Juvia. I'm just happy to help a friend." She smiled that sweet smile of hers and took her hand, guiding Juvia to the doors. "Now, lets see if we can get some response from that idiot."

"Thank you, Lucy-san."

* * *

They arrived soon enough to the guild, not yet even mid-day. As soon as they were inside, Juvia's eyes searched for Gray. He was sitting in a corner of the guild, alone, a glass of whiskey in front of him. Perhaps he was still thinking about what happened after the Games. With a look from Lucy she stopped looking at him.

"Not yet. Just relax and go to him in a bit." She gestured towards the bar counter. "Let's get something to drink first. I am sooo thirsty."

"Alright, Lucy-san. Thank you again for the dress." She followed Lucy.

"Let's see first if it works." Lucy chuckled. "Mira!" She called to the barmaid, whom just put her usuals in front of them. Milkshake for Lucy, mint tea for Juvia.

"You look great today, Juvia" When Mirajane talked with that sweet voice no one could suspect the demon she had inside. "It seems you have caught someone's eye." She giggled while her eyes moved past Juvia and Lucy. Juvia slowly turned to look in the direction Mira was gazing and saw Gray, now talking to Erza while she ate yet another cake.

"G-gray-sama? He's just talking to Erza-san." She didn't believe Mirajane. "He hasn't even looked to us."

"I wouldn't be so sure." With that and a smile, Mira left. Lucy then turned to her.

"Come on, time for you to go there." She pushed Juvia to the direction of Gray's table. "Just talk to him, like you have been doing lately." Just then Natsu arrived asking for Lucy's forgiveness, blue exceed trailing behind. Juvia took that as her leave.

She started walking towards Gray and Erza, but when she was about to get there the exquip mage rose from the table and walked to her.

"I like your new look, Juvia. The dress is a nice change from your usual attire." Without giving any time for Juvia to answer she left, and Juvia walked alone to the table and sat across from Gray.

"Ohayou Gray-sama!" she beamed at him. Just being in his presence raised her mood.

"O-Ohayou, Juvia." Had Gray-sama just stuttered? She took a good look to his face. His cheeks were pink, maybe he was feverish or something.

"Is Gray-sama feeling well? His cheeks are pink." She moved her hand closer to his face and aimed for his forehead, but Gray ducked away.

"I'm okay, it must be the heat in this damn place."

It hurt her. She just wanted to know if he had a fever, and he had just lied flatly to her. Juvia wished it didn't show on her face, but she already felt her smile faltering, and her eyebrows knitting in a frown. He still didn't trust her. He really had seemed to be opening up, but he didn't even let her know if he-

"You look beautiful in that dress, Juvia."

Juvia looked up with astonishment, blushing furiously. Gray-sama had just told her she looked beautiful. Right now she felt even happier than she had when he said he cared about her. Gray seemed like he was avoiding her look, and Juvia could have sworn his cheeks were even redder than before. He didn't have a fever. He was blushing. Juvia could die right here and she would be happy. Or not, because if Gray-sama was blushing, maybe Erza and Lucy were right. Maybe he really was changing. Maybe he really felt something for her.

"A-arigatou, Gray-sama" And she blushed even more.

* * *

A/N: Hi! First of all, thank you to all that read, reviewed, favorited &/or followed this story (SnowLili, Lumiiere, NelielNyx, NudgeThePyro, Raimy-fantaisie, Simlop, mslynn1994, thedemigoddesmage, xgasai-yunox, xsamiichan, Thaysh, fullbuster juvia, sparkles princess)

Day 3 completed! If you have read my other one shots, you know that this is a counterpart to the day 2 prompt, just that this one's from Juvia's point of view, and Day 2 was from Gray's POV. I apologize again for any grammar mistakes, sumimasen :S

I hope you enjoyed it! If so, leave a comment or something, I don't bite! I also would like for you to tell me if there is something you don't like. I can't improve without constructive criticism, can I? ^^

Really hope you like it :3


	4. 4- First

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, its characters and their stories.**

**4.- First**

Over the past few months Gray felt him and Juvia were growing more and more closer. They spent almost all their free time together. Talking or quiet, it was the same. Since that day he had told her she looked beautiful he had began to accept something he hadn't wanted to for the longest time. Something that he had secluded to the furthest part of his mind and to which he neither wished to look upon nor analyze. At first they were just random things that intruded his line of thought while on a mission. Like, if he was with team Natsu he would sometimes miss Juvia. At the time he had told himself it was just because their magic merged so well that he missed having her to fight along with. If he, instead, was on a job with Juvia, he would start to notice things like the small gestures she would make while talking, the way she moved while on a fight, or how her hands would fidget with each other whenever she was nervous. He was beginning to be too conscious around her, but then again, he buried those thoughts deep enough so they wouldn't disturb him. Then, when the Games started, that irritation with tints of hatred had invaded him like a plague when he heard Lyon talking with Juvia. He had never felt hatred for Lyon before, not even when the Moondrip incident happened. Rivalry perhaps, but never hate. He was like a brother to him. He didn't like at all the bet Lyon proposed, though. Juvia belonged in Fairy Tail, Juvia belonged with him. He didn't pay too much attention to that last piece of thought. With the passing of time he also started to, perhaps subconsciously, learn things about Juvia herself. What she liked for breakfast, her favorite drink, the different tones of voice she used when talking... He specially liked the one she used when talking to him, when _actually_ talking to him. It was soft and gentle, it made him feel peaceful. Then he recalled how, at Ur's death anniversary, she had given him that scarf. He remembered how he hurt her when first rejecting it, but at the time he was drunk and wallowing in melancholic memories. That didn't mean he didn't regret it later and come back looking for it. He remembered the warmth the scarf provided his body when the snow started to coat the silent streets of Magnolia, and the warmth that ignited his heart when he thought Juvia had knitted it for him. Those thoughts and many more were what filled his head for months. He had tried to push everything back to a corner of his mind, but the first time a word like _perfect_ had crossed his line of thought accompanying the image of Juvia, he had started to fell uneasy. Now, he had nothing else in mind. He couldn't escape the realization downing on him. He had actually started to fall for Juvia. For his crazy, noisy, and most of the time, annoying, stalker. But she wasn't like that anymore. Juvia had changed. And he had changed too. Now she was calmer around him, she wasn't acting as obsessive as before, and he had been attracted to that. To her now peaceful company, to her sincere -and not maniac- smile, to all of her, really. His behaviour towards her had also shifted, likely as an answer to that attraction. He was beginning to be more open about himself, feeling more comfortable when talking with her than he had with anybody else in years. The influence they both had in each other was showing in their demeanor. Their guildmates had already noticed, Erza asking more than once if he had finally told her anything. What was there to tell? He showed with his actions what he wanted, right? He hadn't given much thought to what to do next after the realization came, he just spent the following days thinking and thinking about anything that came to his mind. And so, today, while he was on the guild with Juvia just relaxing after they had had dinner, he recalled a question she had asked him a long time ago, while eating some ice-cream in the middle of a job in Hargeon. She asked what had been troubling him after they got back from the Games, and he hadn't been able to tell her. Now, without even thinking about how odd it would sound, he blurted the answer out loud to a question no one had asked.

"I felt guilty for Ultear's disappearance." As his words were no more than a mere whisper, Gray prayed that Juvia hadn't actually heard them. He took a deep breath, but before he could release it, Juvia's sweet voice cut in.

"What are you talking about, Gray-sama?" So, she had heard it. Gray looked up from the glass he was holding, and searched for her face. She looked confused for some seconds. Then, he saw understanding beginning to emerge in her eyes. It had been about nine months since they went on that job, the battle against Tartarus happening in between and all, but she still remembered.

"Why would you feel guilty about that? No one knows what happened to her."

"You remember that minute we saw into our future?" Gray lowered his gaze to his hands. He saw Juvia nodding in the reflection of his glass. "I don't think we just saw it." He paused for a bit, hesitant to share what had tormented him for a long time. He inhaled deeply. "I know we actually lived it, and that time was turned back." He heard Juvia gasp.

"You think Ultear used her magic to turn back time? But...but then...why would she, why wouldn't she c..." Juvia stuttered while trying to articulate her thoughts. Gray knew what trail of thinking she had followed, though.

"Why wouldn't she show up after that?" he asked her. "She showed up, right before she died." He hesitated, trying to keep his feelings in place. He saw Juvia extending her hand as if to take his, but she stopped midway, and posed them on the table. "I assumed her magic took a toll on her body, consuming its time. When we were leaving Crocus we passed an old lady on the road, I think...No. I know it was her." He could feel tears gathering in his eyes as his vision blurred.

"But why would it be your fault Gray-sama?" This time Juvia's hand actually made it to his. She squeezed his hand in an attempt of comforting him.

"That minute into the future, I was dead. Thanks to her we knew what was going to happen. I could dodge the blow because of her, because of her sacrifice. It was just like Ul all over again. They died for me." At that point he couldn't control it anymore, tears escaped his eyes and rolled down his face.

"It wasn't your fault. With her sacrifice Ultear saved a lot of people. That minute gave us who were fighting hope. It wasn't your fault Gray."

He listened to her. He knew Juvia was right. After having gone round and round with it during months he had came to the same conclusion. It was just that the feeling wouldn't leave him. But he knew she was right. It wasn't his...'_It wasn't your fault, Gray_.'

Juvia hadn't called him Gray-sama.

She had forgot the suffix.

It wasn't like it had never happened before. In that horrible memory of his death the last word he heard was Juvia's heartbreaking call of his name. But it was the first time she had dropped the suffix while not in immediate danger or a battle. He froze. He could still feel Juvia's soft hand on top of his. He could feel his pulse throughout his whole body. He heard it in his ears. When he looked up, he saw Juvia had too noticed what she had called him. He searched for her eyes, and when he found them, he locked his gaze with hers. Her blue orbs radiated nervousness. Gray didn't really know what to do, so he just followed his instinct and leaned to her until their lips collided.

The kiss was gentle. He extracted one of his hands from beneath Juvia's and caressed her face. Gray could feel his heart racing beneath his skin, and Juvia trembling under his touch. Her lips were so soft and warm, he was soon feeling the need for more. But faster than he would have liked, they were parting, both gasping for air. He locked gazes with her once more, his hand still resting on her cheek.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow, Juvia?" he half whispered, still looking into her eyes. He knew what she would answer before she even opened her mouth.

"Juvia would like that very much, Gray." The corners of his lips perked up, and he found himself leaning to her once more.

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**A/N: I am so so so so sorry this is up so late and that it is too short. I promise tomorrow's chapter will be longer. I know a lot of you have asked that I write it longer, sumimasen.**

**Thank you too all that read, reviewed or favorited the story (aka NelieNyx, NollyLvn, Bubblycutie and Awesomnessdude, Gruvia2988, Killing Kunoichi, sparkles princess, Anani00, annabelisawesome, membridget, and the guests).**

**I remember you that I will be uploading the following days more one-shots as continuation. If you would like to read them I will be posting them as chapters under the story "Care is an ambiguous word" as well as separate one shots.**

**Thank you so much for reading! ^^ i am so sorry once again for the shortness of the one-shot. R&R! :3**


	5. 5- Longing

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, its characters and stories.**

**A/N: I may have deviated a little from the original prompt, but I'm running out of ideas. I am sorry once again that this is up so late. (In Spain is still April 5th, so, I'm still on time *.*). Now, on with today's fic.**

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5.- Longing

It had all started a sunny spring morning. Everyone seemed to just have gone back from jobs, and the guild was busier than usual. Juvia sat in table with Team Natsu sans Wendy and the exceeds at a far corner of the guild. Gray sat to her right, already missing a shirt and his hand unconsciously fidgeting with the belt that kept his trousers from being tossed out too. She extended her right hand and put it on top of his, stopping his movement. Gray looked down to their hands a muttered an almost imperceptible thanks. He didn't remove his hand from hers, he just moved them to the bench, so they wouldn't be in a compromising position. Then he intertwined his fingers with hers, Juvia seeing from the corner of her eyes the faint blush that spread out through his cheeks.

This sort of interaction had started to happen more frequently since the guild 'discovered' about them. Not that they were hiding it much. For Mavis' sake, their first kiss had been in the middle of the guild hall. She smiled at the memory. Gray had been crying, tears streaking down his face after he told her he felt guilty about Ultear's disappearance. That was the first time while not in imminent danger that Juvia had dropped the honorifics when talking with Gray, as wrapped as she was in her intent of consoling him. Both shocked, she recalled Gray searching for her eyes and locking his to hers, and after what seemed like an eternity, he leaned in and kissed her. A perfect kiss. His lips were gentle as he slowly caressed her cheek with one hand, butterflies flying in Juvia's stomach. Gray was kissing her! Actually kissing her, on his own accord. At first she couldn't believe what was happening, what had led Gray to kiss her all of a sudden. Then she just gave in to the kiss, wanting to engrave it in her memory. And engraved it was, as the date they had the next day. Gray arrived half and hour earlier than they had agreed to meet, visibly nervous and already missing his shirt and shoes. Juvia had already been ready for about an hour, with how anxious she felt, and had also had the mind to prepare some clothes for Gray, as sure as she was that he was going to arrive semi-nude. After waiting for a very stubborn Gray to accept the clothes she had prepared, and him shyly thanking her, they started to walk to some restaurant Gray had picked. From the dinner they had to the walk home, everything had been perfect in Juvia's mind. She couldn't have asked for more. She was happier with each passing day.

At first they weren't too open about what had happened while in the guild, but as they got more comfortable with the fact that they were indeed dating -Juvia sighed-, they started to. Then, Mira had seen them holding hands one day and announced to the whole guild they had a party to celebrate. Juvia recalled how flustered Gray had been the moment Mira shouted to all that wanted to hear it that Juvia had finally got her man. Not that she could speak much for herself, she was redder than Erza's hair, but she also was the first one to be up with Mira in the celebration. She was so ecstatic about it.

She was brought to the present, a lingering smile in her face, as Natsu's boisterous voice resonated through the whole guild.

"Oi, ice princess, what are you so blushy about now? Is Juvia doing something under the table?" His laughter was cut off quickly after Lucy elbowed him in the ribs, Natsu now bended over, cursing at her for hurting him. Juvia's face had quickly from pale to red with how furiously she had blushed. Gray's cheeks were also a shade of pink darker than before.

"Like you are one to talk, flame brain! We all saw how Lucy-" The squeal from Lucy, now redder than Juvia, and Natsu's attempts of punching Gray in the face were cut off by Erza, who stood up and took each of them from their ears rising their faces so they would look at her.

"Were you about to have a fight while we were enjoying a peaceful morning in the guild?" She asked, both of them trembling in fear under her gaze.

"No, we weren't!" Natsu and Gray answered in unison.

"I believe we need some mission so that both of you can steem it off. But first..." she released them and sat down, going back to enjoying her half eaten cake.

"Ok. Juvia, let's go check the mission board out. We may found something suitable for us." Without waiting for an answer he took her hand and started walking towards the board. However, a voice cut in while they were no more than 5 meters from the table.

"I meant for our old team, Gray. It has been some time since you joined us for a job." Erza said while calmly eating her cake.

"That's true, you almost never come with us now." Lucy stated. "It almost seems like you cannot leave Juvia's side for more than a day." She chuckled. "Since you two started dating you have been joined at the hip. I have never seen you so dependent of anyone, Gray." Now Juvia clearly heard the sneer in Lucy's words. She was looking to them firmly in the eyes, Natsu having 'recovered' from her elbowing showing a smug smile just like Lucy-san's.

"I think you are mistaking the situation here, Lucy." Gray replied. "You _and_ Natsu are the ones that seem to be unable to part for more than twenty four hours. Not since he brought you here." He smirked then, clearly thinking he had won with that. Juvia feared it wasn't like that. Lucy would surely think of a comeback to him, and then she _would_ get away with it, just by using her words.

"Maybe it is like that." She recognized, blushing a bit, though. "Let's make a bet, then." That caught almost everyone's interest within a close distance from where they were. Juvia's hand still resided in Gray's.

"What kind of bet, Lucy-san?" Juvia inquired. She didn't like the feeling the word 'bet' gave her, although last time they had betted anything in the guild she had gotten away with having Gray all for herself. Maybe it would be entertaining.

"Let's see who can stay away from each other longer. The..."she hesitated, and blushed even more "the couple that wins gets the other couple to do what they want for a whole day."

"Done. That flame brain can't stay away from you for too long, we will win." Gray grinned. Then looked to Juvia to see if she was okay with it. She nodded. She knew she would miss him, but still, she wanted to prove Lucy wrong. They were not _that_ dependent of each other.

"May I suggest something?" Erza cut in. "Why don't you take different missions? Lucy can go with Juvia, and you two" she said pointing to Gray and Natsu "can pair up. Choose day-long missions, and lets see how much time you can stand after getting back from the jobs without seeing each other." Juvia noted a devious smile had appeared in her face, in this moments she resembled more the Demon Mirajane than herself. "I will accompany Juvia and Lucy, and we will stay at Lucy's apartment for the night." She heard Lucy muttered a protest along the lines of why it had to be _her_ apartment, but after a look from Erza she shut up.

"Agreed." Juvia replied to her. Since Lucy-san had confessed to her her feelings for Natsu Juvia actually had started to enjoy her company, considering her as a true friend. She knew Lucy wouldn't try to steal Gray from her.

"Agreed." Lucy said, smiling to Juvia.

"Oi Luce, I don't agree." He looked with puppy eyes towards Lucy, while leaning closer to her. "I don't want to spend a whole day with this popsicle."

"You will. And we will win the bet." Lucy retorted looking directly in their direction. Gray gave a squeeze to Juvia's hand, then let go.

"Alright, we are on. And you are so going to loose." Gray smirked.

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Juvia and the girls picked up a very easy mission, not having to even leave Magnolia. Gray and Natsu, instead, by Erza's order, had picked a job on a nearby town, and would be gone for most of the day. Their job was fairly simple, they had to help an old woman with her chores. The reward wasn't much, but with it they could go do some shopping afterwards, as Lucy had said.

With Erza's help, the chores were done in a relatively short time, and soon they were following Lucy towards the shopping district. As they tried on some clothes on one of the stores, Juvia recalled another time in which she had been in this shop with Lucy.

"Lucy-san, do you remember last time we were here?" She asked while trying on some skirt Lucy had once again chose for her. "You bought that dress for me. Thanks again."

"Of course I remember Juvia. You looked wonderful in it. Gray thought so too." She heard Lucy giggle in the changing room to her right. "How is the skirt?" Juvia heard some rustling, then she straightened herself and opened her curtain too.

"It suits you." She heard Erza, who was at the moment sitting in an sofa in the middle of the room. "You should buy it, Juvia." Juvia shot a grateful smile to Erza's reflection on her mirror.

"You really should, Juvia." chimed in Lucy. "That navy blue flatters you. It reminds me of a certain someone." She giggled again, a hand covering her mouth. It also reminded Juvia of a certain ice mage. Now that she had been more than a few hours away from him, she noticed how much time they really spent together. She missed him more than she thought she could. For Mavis' sake, she longed for this day and the bet to be over just so that she could get back to him. To get back to having him near her. She needed him by her side. Maybe Lucy was right. Maybe they have become too much dependent of the other. But then again, he still lived in his apartment and her in Fairy Hills, so in that they beat Lucy and Natsu. Lucy could deny to her friends all she wanted, but everyone at the guild knew Natsu practically lived with her, spending the night there almost every other day. They even shared her bed. She was brought back to the store when Lucy's sweet voice reached her ears.

"So, what do you think?" Lucy asked, then twirled for them to see the dress she had tried on. Juvia eyed the dress. It was much too short for her taste, but she thought Lucy didn't really minded that, given her usual wardrobe. It was a simple one-piece, its colors resembling those of the cherry blossom trees.

"It also reminds me of the color of someone's hair." Erza replied to her, a smirk on her face. With that comment Lucy's face tinted the same colour as her dress, if not darker, and she quickly entered the changing room closing the curtain behind her. A chuckle escaped Juvia's lips as she also entered her changing room.

"You two are going to loose, Lucy-san."

"We are not. Not if Natsu knows what is best for him."

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After that, and some time spent at a café, they walked back to Lucy's apartment, where they ate dinner while they watched the movie lacrima. While the couple on the screen kissed each other Juvia was reminded of how much she missed Gray already. She had tried not to think about it all day, since they parted at the guild, the goodbye kiss being too short. They had tried to busy themselves with anything they had come to mind, Lucy being the first one suggesting things to do, so Juvia thought she would too be missing Natsu a lot. They decided to sleep in Lucy's bedroom, so they had to use some futon Lucy had stored in her wardrobe. As Juvia saw Lucy carried three futons back to where Erza and her were waiting, she asked Lucy about it, her answer being that she wouldn't want to use her bed knowing they would be sleeping on the floor. Soon they had made all the arrangements for sleeping and the three of them were on their pajamas. She just wanted to go to sleep so the day would be over earlier and she wouldn't have to be thinking about how much she missed Gray. How much she yearned for the bet to be over and go back to be with him. She craved his kisses more than she should have. She really wanted to go to sleep, but Lucy seemed to have other plans.

"So Juvia, are you going to tell us about how is dating Gray? Have you two had sex already?" Juvia blushed furiously at Lucy's question, her heart fluttering.

"W-what k-k-kind of question is that, Lucy-san? Have you and Natsu?" The mirth that Lucy's face had reflected before was swiftly wiped out by the blush that now covered her cheeks in embarrassment, clearly answering the question for her.

"I asked you first, Juvia." She said trying to avoid her question. Juvia fidgeted with the hem of her nightgown.

"Gray and Juvia haven't reached that level of intimacy yet." She said while watching how her hands twiddled. She knew she sounded sad, but in fact she wasn't. Things were going just perfect. She was happy with taking things easy. "He hasn't even said 'I love you' to Juvia." Now she definitely had sounded sad.

"You don't have to worry about that, Juvia. You know how Gray is better at expressing his feelings through his actions. He doesn't like too much to talk." Erza quietly replied, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah, Erza's right Juvia. We all know he loves you, you can ask anyone in the guild." Lucy added. "We can see just how much he loves you just by watching how he looks at you. You shouldn't worry." She possed her hand on Juvia's arm comfortingly. "Ok, now I have lost the mood to talk about things like this, it would be better if we just went to sleep so that tomorrow comes and this bet will finally be over. I miss Natsu."

"Yes, Juvia misses Gray too." Juvia muttered.

"Lucy, you still haven't answered Juvia's question either." Erza wickedly remembered her.

"Why w-would I ha-have to?" Lucy stuttered, red color back in her cheeks. "What about you and Jellal?" She retorted to Erza.

"Ok, time to sleep."

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Juvia was awakened by the sound of someone's footsteps that were nearing her head. Just when she was about to ask who was there, she felt a cold hand covering her mouth, preventing her of speaking.

"Shh, it's just me." She recognized Gray's voice although it was too dark to distinguish his face. He carefully retreated his hand from her mouth and made a gesture for Juvia to speak low, signaling to the sleeping figure of Lucy, laid down next to her.

"Why are you here? If Erza sees you, we are going to loose the bet." She whispered, trying not to raise to much her voice.

"I don't care that much about the bet. I'm sure that flame brain is somewhere near here, if not hiding _in_ here." He quietly chuckled. Now that he shifted his position a little, she could make out his features from where the light of the moon illuminated him. "I missed you Juvia, so much." Her heart skipped a beat and then started to race as if there was no tomorrow. She felt how Gray was leaning closer to where she laid. She missed his kisses so much. She craved the feelings they gave her. The fluttering of her heart, the heat that started to coil at her stomach and feeling breathless. She yearned them and it hadn't been even a day since they last shared a kiss. Just when Gray's lips were about to close the gap between their mouths, someone turned on the light.

"I thought you had more self restrain, Gray." Erza stated. She was at the door of the bathroom, her hand still on the light switch. Lucy had just risen up from her position on the floor, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Then they heard someone trying to hold back a laugh. The sound came from under Lucy's bed.

"What are you laughing about, you squinty eyes?" Gray grunted towards the bed. And in fact Natsu appeared from under it. Wearing a big grin on his face. He was laughing again.

"You lost the bet, ice princess. I will have you as a slave tomorrow." He continued laughing as he looked towards them. Juvia noticed Lucy had started to smile a little too.

"You just came from under a bed, Natsu. The fact that you were hiding under it means you arrived here earlier than me. You lose." Gray smirked.

"In fact the both of you came in here at the same time. You just used the door while Natsu used the window. The bet has ended in a draw." Erza cut in, and with that Juvia heard Lucy burst out laughing.

"Natsu, what did I tell you about using the door? We could have won this bet... Now no one gets to boss around the other ones."

Then Juvia turned her attention once more to Erza when she heard something that resembled a chuckle. She had wicked smile in her face Juvia didn't like one bit.

"Maybe since all of you ended loosing the bet I could get to boss you around."

A/N: first of all, thank you to all that read, reviewed, favorited or followed my last one-shot (sparkles princess, annabelisawesome, SpiritBear13, P-and-P, Anani00, DLAnimeMiku, LuvsManga, PrincessoftheDemons, shine3000, Kawaii Mea-chan, maddiekira, minijuju, Plockiie and guests). You make me want to write better just by letting me know you like my stories ^^

Now the reminder of the day, as every day past, I will be posting two more fics with the last two prompts tomorrow and on monday. You can find them as one-shots or as chapters in the story called "Care is an ambiguous word."

I apologize again for the tardiness of this fic, sumimasen.

Let me know if you liked it! R&R ^^


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